Peach, Plum, Pear
by LifeIChose
Summary: This was unlike the story, It was written to be...And you've changed some. DB.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: Obviously, I don't own these characters.

I have taken some things from the season three finale (Dan and Serena kiss, Chuck and Jenny) and run with them.

* * *

He's not sure why he's here.

They are not friends and his life is complicated enough as is. In the small time he has managed to spend with Serena since the night they spent in his bed and the truth about Chuck and Jenny came out, Serena keeps mentioning Blair and how worried she is.

No one has heard from her since the confrontation at the hospital and while Serena is trying to figure out her situation with Nate, Dan decides to take it upon himself to check on her.

It's a stupid idea and he keeps thinking this all the way to the Upper East side but he also thinks of the worry in Serena's voice as she talks about Blair and he remembers Blair's face as she looked between Chuck and Jenny. There was anger and he bets that is what Jenny will forever remember but before that, he swore he saw Blair break. It lasted for just a second and despite the chaos of the situation or the fact that he leaves with his sister after Blair banishes her, the sight of perfect Blair crumbling is imprinted in his mind.

"Humphrey?" Her voice is coloured with distaste. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

He looks up at her standing on the second to last step and something seems off. She sounds the same and she is wearing that condensing smirk reserved for those she deems beneath her which is pretty much everyone and definitely him.

"I just wanted to make sure you are okay."

She smiles at him mockingly. "Oh, how lovely. Well as you can see, I am perfectly fine so you can let yourself out."

Blair begins to walk back up the stairs and Dan debates whether he should just walk out but he notices how her head is not held as high as it normally is and he cannot bring himself to leave.

"I know we are not friends but no one has heard from you since what happened with Chuck-"

She twists around furiously. "Do not say his name."

"Blair-"

"Get out!" she yells.

"Blair," he attempts again.

And then she is walking towards him, her heels clacking against the tiles, and pushing him hard with all her weight so that he staggers back. Still she comes closer and keeps pushing but he plants his feet to the ground and lets her. When she finally realizes that he isn't moving, her arms drop defeated to her sides and she lets herself really look at him for the first time.

His eyes are soft and understanding and when he says her name again, it matches the way he is looking at her and she begins to cry silently.

He hesitates for the briefest of seconds before coming closer and wrapping his arms around her. She cries against his red flannel shirt, soaking it but not making a sound and he rubs her back against her thin silk shirt, not making a sound either.

It is her who finally pulls away and she looks confused as if waking up from a dream.

He studies her as she straightens herself out and then without a word, she turns around and heads up the stairs.

He waits until he hears a door shut before he lets himself out.

* * *

Serena calls him later that day and they meet for coffee.

She talks a lot and he only hears about every third word.

He thinks about Blair's silent tears and wonders what it takes to make someone like Blair break. It must be more than just this thing with his sister.

"So, have you talked to Vanessa?"

Dan looks at Serena's hopeful expressions and feels guilty. He has not thought about his girlfriend all day and as he studies Serena, he realizes he hasn't really thought about her either.

"No, not yet."

Serena looks disappointed and he is slightly puzzled until she says "I broke up with Nate," and he realizes she was hoping that he has done the same with Vanessa.

"I'm sorry, Serena," he says and he means it.

"Yeah, me too." Her green eyes are for once, not shining. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. There is not much I can do with her in Haiti. I think I should just wait for her to come back."

Serena's disappointment visibly deepens.

Dan looks at her and even as he feels a bit of regret he thinks that no matter what happens, she, they, will be fine. In the end they always are.

His mind wanders back to Blair.

* * *

He goes back to Blair's apartment at 9:00am the next day and waits for her patiently at the foot of the stairs.

She has a look of surprised annoyance as she comes towards him. "What are you doing here?" she hisses and continues before he can answer. "If you think I am going to fall apart..."

Having being on the receiving end of many of Blair's angry rants, he stops her before she gets too carried away. "I come bearing gifts." He holds up a brown paper bag.

She wrinkles her nose in disgust. "And where did that come from? Brooklyn?"

He laughs. "Believe it or not, Brooklyn actually has the best bakeries in the world but I can only fight one battle at once." He gestures with his head toward the dining room. "Come on, they are from Lily's favourite bakery."

"Fine," she acquiesces after a moment. "But we are eating here, on the stairs."

"Seriously?"

Blair crosses her arms stubbornly across her chest. "You can leave."

Dan studies her and there is a challenge in her eye but also something else that looks remarkably close to fear.

He sits down and begins to pull out pastries for the bag. "Croissant?" he offers.

She takes it as she sits down gingerly next to him and he swears he can see a faint trace of a smile.

* * *

On the third day she has the same look of surprised annoyance at the sight of Dan and he once again has to convince her to let him stay but it's an act and they both know it.

Sitting beside each other, like the day before, she doesn't start up conversation so it is once again up to him to make small talk that he hopes won't incense her. He rambles on about things he knows she doesn't care about: Brooklyn, a movie he wants to go see and the band that did the soundtrack, who by the way he hears is going to be playing a show in Brooklyn in the next couple of months.

She doesn't respond audibly but she frowns and scrunches up her nose in all the appropriate moments so he knows she is listening.

It is surprisingly comfortable.

He is about to get up when she puts her hand on his wrist. She drops her hand almost immediately and his eyes widen. His whole body is suddenly alert.

"Yes?" he asks.

She shakes her head, not looking at him. There is a faint blush covering her cheeks and he wonders if she felt the same as him when their skin came in contact. He quickly rejects that notion and surmises that she must just be embarrassed at his reaction.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

Her head moves ever so slightly. It is not quite a nod but he will take it.

* * *

She finally speaks on the fourth day.

This time they are seated on the same love chair, their usual array of pastries spread out in front of them on the coffee table.

"I am going to get fat."

He bursts out laughing.

"What?" she looks offended.

"That is all you have to say? We have spent the past four days together and that's all you have to say?"

"What would you rather have me say?" she asks and there is a hint of a smile in her voice.

"I was picturing something more along the line of 'get the hell out of my house.'"

This time the smile is on her lips. "Been there, done that."

He chuckles.

They fall back into comfortable smiles until she breaks it again.

"Why are you here?" She is looking directly at him, her brown eyes wide and inquisitive.

He says the first thing that comes to his mind. "I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."

As soon as the words are out, he panics and readies himself for a violent reaction.

He sees Blair stiffens but then she moves closer to him. Timidly she lays her head against his. He wraps his arm around her and feels stunned at how quickly he does it and how natural it feels.

He would have never pictured him and Blair in this situation and he wonders who has changed: him or her.

The thought that maybe neither of them have changed, that whatever this thing with him and Blair is may be temporary stirs an uncomfortable feeling within him.

"This won't end well," he thinks to himself but as Blair scoots even closer, he can't bring himself to care.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Thank you so much to those who reviewed or added me to your story alerts. It definitely helps motivate.

* * *

_I'm a sensitive bore_

_You seem markedly more_

_And I'm oozing surprise_

They are hanging out in her living room again.

She's eating a fruit cup and he is telling her stories in between bites of his pain au chocolat.

She is not really sure what this particular story is about as she is too busy studying him to really listen to his words.

She thinks of how he seems different. This cannot possibly be the same Humphrey who dated her best-friend. Because back then she couldn't understand what Serena could possibly see in him but now as much as she hates to admit it, she is starting to see his charm.

It's his seventh visit in a row and even now she can't really understand why he is here.

She has been mean and sullen for most of his visits and he has been un-relentlessly friendly and engaging.

Today her heart is not quite as heavy.

Yesterday she laughed.

And the day before that she woke up for the first time in what seems like forever without thoughts of Chuck in her head.

He looks different and she feels different. Deep down she knows the two are related.

And when he breaks her trance by saying her name, she smiles at him and knows that she is starting to heal.

He seems understandably confused.

"I am ready to go see Dorota and her baby," she announces.

"What?"

She is already standing up, heading up the staircase and he is slow to process her words and follow.

"Today?" he calls after her.

She turns her head to answer, a brilliant smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm ready." she repeats.

His heart begins to sink. Her words seem like a dismissal. She is ready to face the world and she certainly will not be doing that with him. She doesn't need him anymore.

"Okay, I'll let myself out." He struggles to keep the hurt choking him out of his voice. He should have known that nothing had really changed.

She falters slightly in her step. He happens to be looking down so he does not notice.

Beginning to feel slightly down again she nods and continues up the stairs.

He watches her disappear like he did on the first day he came to see her.

It feels different now, however. On that first day, even without fully admitting it to himself at the moment, he knew he would be back. Now he knows he will not return to this house.

Because before he told himself he kept returning for Blair but now if he came back, he knows it would just be for him.

He tells himself that he is disappointed at Blair's dismissal because he has always liked to feel needed.

But as he closes the door behind him, he thinks he will miss this house and to his surprise, the girl who has been hiding in it.

Upstairs Blair hears the door shut as she looks around for the appropriate purse. She shrugs off the gloominess that is hanging over her and tells herself that she will be fine.

Just because Dan Humphrey was the first person to make her laugh since Chuck shattered her heart does not mean she needs him.

Maybe the change she felt before is her finally learning to stand strong on her own.

* * *

Weeks pass and life goes on.

She finally checks Gossip Girl and there is a post about her coming out of hibernation. It is also from the site that she learns that Chuck is definitely not in New York City. She quickly closes her computer when she sees the picture of him boarding his private jet.

The picture does not make her poor recovering heart shatter again but there is a skip that reminds her that despite her new strength, she is definitely not completely healed yet.

Her and Serena hang out like old times but Blair bans the topic of all things Humphrey.

Serena complains that she should be able to talk to her best-friend about her guy troubles but Blair refuses citing her fragile heart as unable to hear about anyone related to Jenny Humphrey. Serena relents as Blair knows she will because that is just the kind of friend she is.

Blair feels slightly guilty but figures it is for the best. She hasn't told Serena about her and Dan`s temporary friendship. The longer she goes without talking to him, the more it feels like a figment of her imagination. She figures that is better too.

Blair Waldorf does not do friendships with guys who wear flannel and live in Brooklyn.

* * *

Serena smiles brightly when she sees him.

He is at Lily's to drop off a record for his Dad and Serena is sitting at the island in the kitchen flipping through a magazine.

``Dan! I feel like you have been avoiding me." Though her tone is light, he knows she is serious.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes honestly. "I'm just kind of in a weird place right now."

She nods in understanding. "Yeah, me too." And then the smile is back on her face. "But this is weird, us avoiding each other. Can we just go back to being friends or step-siblings or whatever we were before the kiss?"

He agrees quickly. He is back to feeling like lonely boy and she looks so earnest that it is an easy decision to make.

They hang out in the kitchen and it is easy and light until she mentions Blair.

She misunderstands the look that crosses his face at her best-friend's name.

"I know you are not Blair's biggest fan but she is going through a rough time right now," she chastises.

Before Dan can come up with a way to defend himself her phone rings and she answers it while glowering at him.

He does not pay attention to her as she chatters on the phone, his mind now consumed with memories of a certain unmentionable brunette.

She hangs up and faces him with a stern look on her face. "That was Blair. She's on her way up. Be nice!"

His palms suddenly feel sweaty. "Shit," he thinks.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: OMG, how good was that episode? I loved, loved the Blair/Dan interaction and hope that this is just the beginning!

* * *

_What was golden went gray_

_And I'm suddenly shy_

His hands are sweaty as she approaches and he waits for her to notice him.

She has a smile on her face when she walks in which slowly dissipates at the sight of him.

And he waits with baited breath for what she will say, how she will act now that they are in front of Serena. He hates it a little bit that he feels like one of her minions, waiting for her instructions on how he should act. But still he waits because that is what people that care about her opinion do. They wait for her to lead and they follow. And he hates it because somehow he has started to care and she is looking at him with her usual displeasure.

"B, be nice," Serena warns before Blair can speak.

Blair hides her relief. Serena by speaking has just decided how the interaction should go and it saves Blair from her indecision. Seeing Dan, she knows how she should act but she hesitates because it takes so much effort to look disapproving when she is actually happy to see him.

Serena's comment commands her into the role she needs to play and she briefly passes her eyes over Dan as she says "Humphrey" on her way over to Serena.

She kisses Serena on the cheek and slips onto the stool beside her. Serena smiles and turns towards her best friend and the two girls start chatting.

Dan watches them for just a minute debating what to do.

It was so easy with Serena before but now with Blair there, he feels paralyzed. Back when he was with Serena, he would have excused himself at the sight of his girlfriend's best-friend. But now Blair feels more than that and he is torn over what to do.

His vibrating cell phone makes the decision for him. It's Nate asking him to come over to the Empire. Since it is the first time he has heard from his friend since the debacle at the hospital, he decides to head over there.

He studies both girls when he announces his departure. Serena looks slightly disappointed and Blair doesn't bother looking at him.

And it is like nothing has changed. But yet, everything has, because his gaze lingers on Blair's curls.

As he rounds the corner, he takes one last glimpse back into the kitchen and Blair's eyes are on him.

She smiles just a little then but it is enough and he is grinning all the way to Nate's.

* * *

He is waiting on her steps when she gets home and she drops her bag to the floor in shock.

"Damn it, Dorota would have never let this happen," she says.

He laughs and knows it is probably true. But Dorota has been taking some time off with her new husband and baby and the new woman clearly does not know how Blair Waldorf feels about boys from Brooklyn. "I don't know, I can be quite persuasive."

"If by that, you mean stalkerish, then I'll give you that," she counters.

And he laughs again because there is none of her usual bite in her insult, just that pouty petulance of someone who does not want to give in.

He's come prepared though because he has always known she is stubborn but now he thinks he knows how to counter it.

Reaching into his bag, he pulls out a bottle of wine. "I brought some food too. It's in the living room."

She comes forward to examine the wine, prepared for some cheap bottle, and is surprised to see that it is actually one of her favourites.

He reads the surprise on her face and answers her unvoiced question. "I am spending all this time on the Upper East Side, I have to learn something."

Blair looks at him and thinks of the truth of his statement. It is not just the Upper East Side he is learning about, it's her as well. He is starting to read her and it scares her as much as it warms her.

She takes the bottle out of his hand. "So why are you spending all this time on the Upper East side anyway? I thought you hated it."

"Turns out there are some good parts," he says looking directly into her eyes. And then with a smile, "Who knows? Maybe one day you will see the good side of Brooklyn."

She shakes her head and hides her smile. He once again gets what she was trying to say without her having to spell it out and once again she feels scared but more excited. "Come on, Brooklyn, let's have some wine."

Dan follows her, the grin back in place.

* * *

They eat and drink wine and talk.

She is all acerbic wit and he is dry and sarcastic without missing a beat and hours pass without either of them noticing.

Their bottle of wine is long done when he finally stands to leave.

Blair's head is resting against the cushion and her feet are tucked underneath her. She looks tired but at peace and while conversation has started to slow, Dan finds he still does not want to leave.

When Blair's eyes begin to shut, Dan knows that he can no longer prolong his visit.

She opens her eyes and looks up at him when she feels him get up. "You're leaving?"

He nods. "Yeah, I should get home. It's pretty late."

She nods too and stifles a yawn.

"So I'll see you."

"Okay," she agrees and looking up at him, she feels a bit confused.

He is still staring down at her and she licks her lips self consciously.

Dan watches the quick slide of her tongue over her wine stained lips and he swallows heavily.

Blair watches him and feels something between them shifting. Her heart thumping in her chest, she watches and waits for Dan to act.

Except that he does not. He just stays paralyzed, looking down at her as she looks back at him. And so she feels paralyzed too. Because he is looking at her lips and though she is lying down, she suddenly feels extremely light headed.

He finally clears his throat and abruptly turns away from her. "I'll let myself out," he is saying as he walks away.

Minutes pass and Blair stays frozen on the couch, wondering what the hell has just happened.

Outside Dan steps into the cool spring night and welcomes the chill on his cheeks. He decides to take the long walk to the subway and hopes the night air will help him focus and get rid of whatever thoughts he was having back at Blair's house.

Because no matter what has been happening with him and Blair, this friendship or whatever it is, he cannot possibly want to kiss Blair Waldorf. She may not be the evil ice queen of the Upper East Side like he thought she was but she _is_ still the Upper East Side and his ex-girlfriend's best-friend and just so out of his league.

The last thought lingers in Dan's mind and he groans as he realizes that he cares about being in Blair Waldorf's league.

He wraps his coat tighter around him, shakes his head and convinces himself that it's just the wine finally getting to him.

Back in her apartment, Blair finally gets off the couch, stretches and heads off to bed telling herself that tomorrow she will feel normal again. That whatever just happened or almost happened was just fatigue and red wine.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews! I am not great at updating regularly but your reviews, etc, have been motivating me to try to get out updates sooner rather than later.

I meant this to be a little ficlet, 3 chapters max, but it has sort of gotten away from me. I still want to wrap it up soon and hope to be quicker with the next update.

Happy Holidays, all.

* * *

Blair wakes up the next morning, feeling rested and a dreamy smile on her face.

She opens her eyes to find Serena in her bed looking at her laughter with shining in her eyes. "Good dream, B?"

A red flush quickly spreads across the pale girl's face as she wonders what exactly she may have said out loud during her dream. Now that she is awake she cannot remember much of it but there is a vague memory of a certain Humphrey doing things to her that she imagined only ever doing with Chuck. "What are you doing here, Serena?"

Serena giggles and flops back down on the bed, turning to face her friend. "Oh relax, I didn't hear anything. Just a groan and moan here and there." Her smile dims. "Eww, please tell me you were not dreaming of Chuck."

Blair's frown deepens. "No, definitely not."

"Alright then, I'll let you keep your dream man a secret," Serena says with a wink and Blair relaxes back into her pillow.

"But you have to come shopping with me."

Blair smiles. "Sure. Any occasion?"

"Yeah, we are going out tonight. You and I are both single, really single for the first time in forever. We need to go out and have fun."

Blair raises an eyebrow. "Oh come on, S. You are never really single. What about Humphrey and Nate?"

Serena shrugs. "From what I hear from Gossip Girl, Nate is taking many pages out of Chuck's little black book and Dan is still with Vanessa."

"Nate is just acting out and Vanessa, well that won't last," Blair says confidently and her heart hurts a little bit when she says the next part. "Both of them would take you back in an instant if you asked."

Serena brings herself closer to Blair and rests her head in the crook of Blair's neck. "That's not true but I love you for saying that."

"It is true," Blair insists and as much as it hurts to admit it, she knows it is. There has never been a boy who has not wanted Serena. Even Chuck at some point had wanted her and Blair knows that part of why she loved him so intensely at times is because he is the only one who ever wanted Blair more.

Serena doesn't answer but whispers "I missed this, B."

Blair responds that she has missed this too. And that too is true. No matter how jealous she gets of the other girl, she knows she would be lost without her. She kisses Serena on her forehead and banishes all thoughts of Dan Humphrey out her head. "Girls day, it is. It will be fun." and she means that too.

* * *

Night time finds them sipping cocktails and dancing in the new outfits they secured earlier that day.

Serena is a short gold shimmering dress, hair flowing loose, giggly and tipsy. Blair is beside her, more subdued but equally radiant in black lace.

They are half talking, half dancing on the dance floor when Serena stops moving and cocks her head to one side, an unsure smile gracing her face. Blair follows Serena's gaze which lands on Dan and Nate.

Blair swears it must be the champagne that causes her heart to accelerate. She turns to Serena accusingly, "I thought you said it was girl's night."

"I didn't invite them," Serena defends herself, but that half smile is still on her face.

Before Blair can say anything further, the two boys are in front of them.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Serena greets.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Nate asks the blonde girl.

Serena hesitates before nodding and walking away with Nate.

* * *

_And I've read the right books_

_To interpret your looks_

_You were knocking me down_

_With the palm of your eye_

"So this is awkward," Dan says after a minute, attempting to break the tension hanging over him and Blair.

It feels strange to be standing in front of her with her avoiding his gaze and acting like she would rather be anywhere else when yesterday they were laughing in her living room but he hopes the awkwardness is temporary, brought on by the new environment that they find themselves in.

His hope is crushed when Blair speaks. "What are you doing here, Humphrey? Isn't this a little pathetic, even for you?"

The derision that he hasn't heard in a while is back in her voice and it matches the look on her face.

Blair continues, unabated. "So you are back to stalking Serena, and she, as usual, can't decide who she wants."

The words sting for a minute before Dan clues in to what is happening. "I am not here for Serena, Blair."

She raises an eyebrow, "Oh so you and Nate happened to just be in the same club as Serena and I."

"No, we knew you were here from Gossip Girl," Dan answers truthfully. He tries not to smile when he notices the surprised look on Blair's face at his admittance. "But Nate is here for Serena."

Blair looks at him then for the first time since he walked in. The derision is gone, misplaced by a touch of vulnerability in her eyes and in her question. "And why are you here?"

"_I'm here for you,"_ he wants to say but the words get lodged in his throat. "Let's get a drink," he suggests instead.

"Are you offering or are you asking for a handout?" Blair asks, her tone haughty but with the edges of a smile.

Dan shakes his head. "Blair, come on."

She giggles at the exasperated look on his face. "Oh alright, but only because Serena and Nate are nowhere in sight."

It is an unnecessary pretense given their relationship as of late and Dan suddenly feels tired of pretending that nothing has changed between them. He is about to say something but she is already walking ahead of him. He stays in the same spot feeling his frustration mounting when she turns around and looks at him questioningly.

She is a few feet ahead of him, now in the middle of a dancing crowd, away from the edges where her and Serena were standing earlier. It hits Dan then as he sees her surrounded by other people just how strikingly beautiful she is.

"Aren't you coming?"

He more reads her lips than actually hears the words but he nods anyway and catches up to her. Leaning into her, his lips brush her ear. "I'm here for you."

Blair goes completely still. "What?"

Dan smiles slightly against her ear before pulling away and giving her a genuine smile. He thinks this may be the boldest thing he has ever done. "Let's get a drink," he repeats his earlier suggestion before turning away and heading toward the bar.

It takes a moment for Blair to gather her senses and by that time Dan is already walking away. She smiles as his words come back to her and she has no choice but to follow him.

* * *

They are sitting on a large crate in the alley behind the club, her on his jacket that he does not need on this unseasonably warm early June night.

She takes a sip of her champagne liking the pleasant lightness it's giving her. She can feel Dan watching her and she shifts her body to the side so that it is facing toward him.

"You've changed, Dan."

He smiles, liking the way his name sounds coming her mouth. "You've changed too."

"Yeah, I guess I have."

He turns towards her then, surprised by the sudden seriousness in her voice.

"What are you thinking?"

She shakes her head and takes another sip of her champagne.

He watches her for a second before taking a large gulp of his own drink: straight scotch. It burns a little on its way down but he welcomes the distraction it brings from his increasingly erratic feelings.

"Why did Nate want to talk to Serena?"

Dan hesitates feeling like he is about to shatter the peace they had been sharing before. The last thing he wants to talk about right now is his ex-girlfriend/her best-friend and his best guy friend/her ex boy-friend. He answers anyway, in spite of his reservations. "He just wants to figure things out – get some closure."

She laughs but there is no joy in it. "He wants her back."

He clenches his jaw. "Are you jealous?"

She laughs again but this time there is genuine amusement in it. "Of Nate and Serena? No! I have come to peace with the fact that blonde and blonder probably belong together."

He is quiet trying to figure out how her words make him feel. For a long time he thought Serena was his soul mate but now as he contemplates Blair's words, he realizes that he has not felt that way in a long time. Before he can say all this to her, her hand is on his on the crate. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

His eyes shoot up to meet hers. "Blair,"

Her eyes widen and she tries to remove her hand from his. He doesn't let her, though, and keeps his eyes locked on hers. "Blair, I'm not in love with Serena anymore."

She nods and tries to remove her hand again. She believes him but the way he is looking at her is making her question how he now feels about her and vice versa. This time he lets her hand get away. He wants to keep holding, to kiss her, to start a new chapter with her but there is still Vanessa and Chuck and despite everything, Serena.

"Do you want to go back inside?" he asks.

She does not answer for a minute, choosing instead to take another sip of her champagne. "I'd rather stay out here for a minute, if you don't mind."

He takes a sip of his scotch. "I don't mind. I am here for you, remember?"

He is teasing, making fun of his earlier bravado but the words warm her anyway. She takes his hand again, this time intertwining their fingers.

"I am glad you are here, Dan."

_And you've changed some_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Reviews are love. Seriously. Happy New Year!

* * *

They are still on the crate, hands intertwined, when Blair's phone vibrates in her clutch.

Removing her hand from Dan's, she pulls out her Blackberry, smiling when she sees the message from her best-friend.

"Serena?" Dan guesses at the same time that his cell phone vibrates against his leg.

She nods and he smirks as he reads the message on his phone. "Nate," he tells her showing her the message.

"Told you he wanted her back."

He laughs. "Is that what she said?" All his message from Nate says is that he and Serena are leaving to go further talk things out.

"Not exactly," Blair admits. She pauses and reads the message out loud verbatim "B, don't be mad but Nate and I are leaving. We have a lot to talk about and need to do it somewhere not quite so public. Call you tomorrow."

"But this is Serena, so I know working things out with a boy usually involves a whole lot of naked." She wrinkles her nose in distaste.

"Blair," Dan exclaims, jumping off the crate. "Just because I am not in love with her anymore does not mean I am ready to think of her having sex with my best-friend."

"Oh, sorry," she says laughing and he can tell that she is not sorry at all.

He forgives her tactlessness, however, when she jumps up and links their hands again, "Guess it's up to you to be a gentleman and escort me home."

He tries to maintain a cool facade but fails miserably, his grin forming in spite of his mind's intentions. "Guess so."

* * *

They are in front of her apartment where they have been for the last ten minutes.

They both realize that they are running out of ways to prolong the goodbye but neither one of them is ready to be the one to actually say the words.

Standing face to face with Dan, Blair feels like a nervous school girl, light and giddy after a first date with a boy she likes. It has been so long since she felt this way, not since her first dates with Nate, and she relishes and savours the feeling, wanting nothing less than it to end.

Dan watches her, memorizes the way her brown eyes sparkle when she laughs and it takes every restraint for him not to just close the distance between them and kiss her.

Knowing his self control is waning, he finally says, "I should get going."

"Okay," she says before stepping into his space and encircling her arms around his neck.

It should not surprise him given that they have been holding hands most of the night but this feels like an entirely different contact. It is not a hug borne out of comfort and as his hands go around her petite waist, it does not feel all that friendly either.

It is her who pulls away first and before he can begin to mourn the loss of contact, her lips are on his. He stays very still for a minute but her mouth is persistent against his and before he can acknowledge what is happening, he is kissing her back, his hand finding its way into her hair and pulling her closer.

When they finally pull apart, Dan breathes out, "Shit, Blair."

He knows it is not the most eloquent thing to say and she confirms it when her face twists into a grimace and she spins on her heel. His reflexes are surprisingly fast for a non-athlete and he grabs her before she can even take one step away from him.

He keeps his hands on her shoulders to keep her in place and looks into her slightly gazed eyes. "You kissed me. Why?"

She sticks out her lower lip defiantly but lowers her eyes. "Because," she pauses. "I wanted to."

He smiles then but she is still not looking at him and misses it.

"Whatever it was stupid. It's the champagne and if you ever repeat this to anyone, I will deny it and never talk to you again."

This time he laughs out loud which brings her to look up at him indignantly.

He kisses her before she can issue more threats.

* * *

She has three missed calls and a text on her phone when she wakes up.

Once she sees who they are from, she feels simultaneously guilty and disappointed.

They are all from Serena, with the text from the blonde asking her to call her.

The events from the previous night are fresh in her mind and she is no rush to call her best-friend without a clear grasp of what is happening with her and Dan.

He had finally left her last night after too many kisses with promises to call her the next day and her disappointment is not so much that he hasn't called as it is only 10am but because with Serena's messages, she realizes that whatever has been going on with her and Dan can't really last until they come clean with Serena. And even then, it might bring on the end, because they both need and love Serena and cannot continue on their friendship or whatever this is if Serena is vehemently opposed.

Blair showers and gets ready, her thoughts not far from the situation with Dan but even as the worries of how others would react if they found out cloud her happiness, all she has to remember is Dan's lips on hers for her to feel a little bit lighter.

She makes her way down the stairs and is greeted by familiar laughter coming from the kitchen. She bursts in the door expecting her trusty household help and is shocked to see Dorota fussing over something over the stove while Dan watches over her while holding a coffee mug.

"Dorota, you traitor!"

The accused steps away from the stove a slight smile on her face. "Miss Blair," she greets politely.

Blair tries not to smile but fails. "Welcome back, Dorota."

Dorota's smile grows. "The baby is upstairs, sleeping." She gestures to a baby monitor on the counter and then to Dan, "And Mr. Dan is here to see you, he said you would be happy to see him."

Blair raises an eyebrow. "Oh he did, did he?"

Behind Dorota, Dan flushes bright red and feels slightly nervous. He thinks he knows Blair now, can read her, but he fears he may have misread what happened between them last night.

She moves past Dorota as she says, "Can you bring me some coffee please, Dorota? And some fruit?" She is in front of Dan when she says. "We will be in the living room."

She does not have to turn around to know that Dorota is smiling.

* * *

"I'm sorry. I should have called," Dan begins once they are out of earshot.

Blair smiles and lifts one pink lace covered shoulder up in a shrug. "Why start now?"

She moves to the love seat and sits down and Dan follows.

Sitting beside her, Dan says, "I pictured seeing you today and I over analyzed whether I should come here or not but now that I'm here, I'm glad I came."

Blair bites the inside of her cheek to restrain the grin that desperately wants to come out.

"Do you always say exactly how you feel?" she asks.

"Believe me, I have tried not to, but it is a Humphrey curse," he answers dryly.

"It's cute," Blair says.

"Oh, yeah?" Dan asks feeling more emboldened and moving closer.

Blair closes the distance, her lips brushing against his. "Oh , yeah!"

It is all the invitation Dan needs to take her mouth into a deep kiss.

They jump apart when Dorota sets a tray in front of them.

Dan is a deep red but Blair looks happy and Dorota makes a hasty exit.

"I broke up with Vanessa," Dan says, in between sips of coffee.

Blair puts her coffee down slowly. She has been so focused on how this will affect Serena that she had briefly forgotten about the brunette in Haiti.

"I didn't tell her that there was someone else. That felt too mean to do over email while she is trying to help a devastated nation."

She knows she should feel bad for Vanessa but Blair has never cared for the brunette and all she can think is that Dan broke up with someone for her. "I'm someone else?" she asks with a playful smile.

Dan meets her eye and grabs her hand. "I don't want to play games, Blair. I get that's part of who you are but I like you and I broke up with Vanessa for you. And I need to know that this is real."

Blair is at a loss at what to say. In the shortest amount of time, Dan Humphrey has managed to understand what she needs more than anyone ever has before, including Chuck. She's always played games in her relationships because she has always thought that was the only way they worked but in the back of her head, she has always wondered whether it was wrong, whether it should not be a bit easier, a bit more honest.

She leans in and kisses the side of Dan's mouth.

"We have to tell Serena."

He smiles. It is a bit inappropriate given the heaviness of the statement but he understands the meaning of it. Serena is everything to Blair and if she is willing to come clean to the blonde, Dan knows that Blair must feel that whatever is happening between them is serious.

"Okay," he readily agrees and closes the distance between them, kissing her on the lips.

And Blair smiles too, against his lips. "Okay."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I know not everyone likes to review and some of you are professed bad reviews and I completely understand and can't begrudge anyone for that and so just want to say that I really do appreciate the reviews I do get – thank you!

This chapter probably will not make folks happy but it had to be done.

* * *

_And we were galloping manic_  
_To the mouth of the source_  
_We were swallowing panic_  
_In the face of its force_

_XXXX_

It's his suggestion that they do it together but once they are in front of the blonde, he is already starting to regret it.

Them showing up together to her apartment must sound alarm bells and she looks at them with more than a mild curiosity.

"Hey." Her voice is high pitched, her greeting unsure.

They are standing in her hallway, her having met them as they came off the elevator thus not giving them enough time to really prepare facing her upon getting there.

Blair looks at Dan from the corner of her eye and he realizes that she wants him to make the first move.

He swallows hard. "Serena, Blair and I wanted to talk to you. Could we maybe come in and sit down?"

Serena looks back and forth between them and slowly shakes her head. "You and Blair here together? I have a feeling this can't be good. Maybe we should just have it out right here." There is a touch of amusement in her voice now that belies to Dan that she must not have any inkling of what they could possibly have to tell her.

He shakes his head too. "Of course she doesn't. How could she?" he thinks.

For a moment no one speaks. Dan and Blair had decided not to rehearse what to say but now that they are face to face with Serena, they both think that maybe they should have.

After one long silent moment, Blair blurts out. "Dan and I are dating!"

She cringes outwardly as soon as the words have left her mouth. It is so unlike her to not be in control of her words. Usually when she is delivering a blow, she thinks it through well and is calculated in its delivery to ensure the most impact. But this is not a blow that she wants to deliver and she is not really sure how to handle it.

Serena laughs and her eyes twinkle merrily. It does not last, however, as she notices the serious expressions on the two brunettes she is facing.

She looks back and forth between them, her mouth slightly open, before her gaze finally settles on Dan.

"What is this? What could have possibly happened that could make you date Blair?"

Dan bites back a groan at Serena's choice of words. He can practically feel Blair stiffen beside him.

Serena does not seem to notice because she continues. "We just kissed like a month ago and you told me that you were still with Vanessa and now you are dating my best-friend? You have always referred to her as the devil incarnate in female form?"

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Dan can feel a smile forming as he feels Blair's glare on him.

"I know it is sudden and completely unexpected but things have changed. Blair has changed." Dan pauses and really looks at Serena. She looks sad, her eyes a little duller than usual and before that is all it would have taken for him to do anything for her. He inches closer to Blair. "We all have."

Serena notices the movement. She now looks at him like she does not recognize him and he can't blame her.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you."

She shakes her head and turns to Blair. "How could you do this to me? All this time I've been trying to make you feel better about Chuck and you have been dating my ex-boyfriend."

"It's not like that, S," Blair quickly counters. "Dan came by to see me after the whole Chuck debacle and we became friends without really realizing it. I didn't know how to tell you because I didn't really know what was going on. We did not even kiss until last night."

Blair watches Serena absorb her words and thinks that maybe Serena might actually understand but then she speaks and proves Blair wrong.

"I can get that you needed someone and Dan was there for you but it should not have gone further than that. I would have never done that to you."

Blair scoffs loudly. "Surely I don't need to remind you about Nate."

"That was different, I was different back then," Serena argues. "You forgave me."

"Yes, I did. Even though Nate was the first boy I had ever loved and you just took him, I forgave you. I am just asking you to do the same here. Dan and I have not been going behind your back. This just happened and we came here to tell you because I need you to be okay with this."

This is the closest Dan has ever seen Blair come to pleading and it strikes something in him. He realizes that Blair may need Serena but the way she is pleading her case shows that she needs him too.

It must strike something in Serena as well because she closes her mouth, biting back whatever protests she has and is briefly silent. She studies Blair for a minute before mumbling, "Sorry," and pivoting on her booted heel.

Blair stays where she is, looking straight forward at where Serena was, as if it will make the other girl materialize and Dan stays beside her for a minute, unsure of how to act. Feeling like he cannot read her or the situation, he steps in front of her.

"Well that went well," he jokes.

Blair does not smile. "We should go."

* * *

_And I am blue_  
_I am blue and unwell_  
_Made me bolt like a horse_

_XXXX_

Standing in front of Blair's apartment building, Dan feels awkward. Blair has been silent the whole ride from Serena's and now she is unreadable.

Dan studies her impassive face. She looks like a beautiful untouchable doll that his sister would have coveted as a child. He reaches out to touch her hand and she moves back slightly so that his hand falls just outside of her reach.

"We should have known this wouldn't work, Humphrey."

Dan sighs tiredly. "You can't just turn on a switch as if nothing has changed."

Blair smiles in a way that Dan has not seen in a while. It is a small smile, calculated and a tad cruel. "Yes, I can."

She walks away from him then, before giving him a chance to reply. Dan watches her and realizes she's right: Blair has been pretending her whole life.

He thinks back to his fourth day with Blair when she had laid her head on his shoulder and he surmises he was right. This has not ended well.

* * *

Blair is half expecting to see him when she goes downstairs the next morning and is surprised at the level of her disappointment. Even now, after everything that has happened, it is still surreal for her to be missing Humphrey.

If Dorota notices her sad face, she does not say anything. Blair knows that she must know something is off, however, because she suggests they go out to feed the ducks.

"I will bring Anastasia. She needs fresh air -we all go out," Dorota suggests and Anastasia coos on command.

Despite her best efforts, Blair melts and agrees. At the very least it will get her mind off Dan.

* * *

Blair is feeling lighter after leaving Dorota at the park with Anastasia and Vanya.

There is a boy sitting outside her apartment but not the one she was hoping to see.

She is apprehensive as she approaches but her guard drops when he throws her a charming smile as he stands up.

"Hey Nate," she greets. "What brings you by?"

"Serena told me what happened and I came to see how you were."

Blair bites the inside of her cheek, feeling her defences go up again. "Are you concerned about me really or are you here for Serena?"

Nate frowns. "Come on, Blair. You know I care about you, too."

"Yeah, just not as much as Serena," Blair retorts. Seeing the look on Nate's face, she quickly apologizes.

"It's okay," Nate assures. "This whole situation is weird. I'm sort of with Serena again and here I am getting into the middle of a situation with her, her ex-boyfriend and my ex-girlfriend."

Blair relaxes at his understanding words. "Not to mention, said ex-boyfriend is your friend."

"I'm getting a headache just thinking about it," Nate jokes. "But I meant what I said – I care about you."

Seeing the genuine concern in Nate's eyes is enough to make Blair want to cry. She looks away. "I know."

"Hey," Nate says trying to get her to look at him again. When that fails, he steps closer and hugs her.

They both fail to notice, as is so often the case, the snapping of an Iphone.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** First of, I can't believe that it actually looks like Dair might happen. I really never thought I would see the day. No disrespect but I am hoping that they don't screw it up but these are the same writers that ruined Blair and Chuck for me so I am not holding onto that much hope.

On a more positive note, I really want to thank everyone who reviewed and added me to their favourites. It is always hard writing for a couple or characters for the first time and it really helped to have positive feedback.

Lastly, all the lyrics in the chapters and the summary of this story come from the song whose title I used. I was completely inspired by Joanna Newsom.

This story would probably not exist without that song.

* * *

Only hours after Nate's departure, Blair is interrupted from _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ by Dorota's announcement that Miss Serena is here to see her.

Before Blair can fully straighten herself out and prepare for Round Two, Serena breezes in past Dorota.

Blair stays on the couch and looks up at Serena's imposing figure warily.

"What are you doing here, Serena?"

Serena sighs and moves as if to sit down on the couch so Blair is forced to bring her legs up to her upper body.

Blair raises an eyebrow as she watches Serena open her phone and then seem to have an internal debate with herself. Finally she pushes the phone towards Blair. "Have you seen this?"

Blair leans in to look at the picture and frowns when she recognizes the image.

"No, I hadn't."

Serena sweeps blonde locks to the side. "I figured."

"So what is this, another reason to be mad at me? Another boy to claim?" Blair asks tiredly.

"No," Serena says quickly. "At first I was annoyed that Nate came here without telling me but then I realized that is one of the things that I love most about Nate. How he manages to be there for us; to remain neutral during all this Upper East Side squabbling."

Blair smiles slightly, silently agreeing with Serena's words.

"This photo also reminded me of what I took from you," Serena continues. "As you said, Nate was your first love and I took him."

"I wasn't trying to drudge up ugly history, Serena," Blair starts but Serena interrupts.

"I know," she says. "You were just trying to make me understand and now I do."

"What?" Blair asks, baffled. When Serena showed her the picture, this is the last thing she was expecting.

"It was weird for me, seeing you and Dan, hearing about the two of you, when all I have ever known is you not getting along. But I think what freaked me out the most was how you two were with each other. You like him and vice versa."

Blair shrugs, nonchalantly. "I was lonely and he was there."

Serena smiles. "The fact that you are even acting like this is more evidence of how much you like him."

"Okay, I am confused. Are you now encouraging me to like Humphrey?"

Serena shakes her head with a bemused smile. "I am encouraging you to do what makes you happy, B. And if what makes you happy is my first real boyfriend, then so be it, because well who am I to judge?"

Blair rolls her eyes. "Well that sounds like a real endorsement."

Serena leans in and grabs Blair's hands. "This is weird for me but I want you to be happy, B. And that's the honest truth."

Blair looks into Serena's eyes and knows that she is telling the truth. After the scene at Lily's penthouse, Blair wasn't expecting Serena to come around so fast but now she realizes that Serena did not give up on the conversation because she could not believe that Blair could really like Dan and vise versa, but rather because she could.

"Well, thanks S but I think both you and I know that Humphrey could never work."

"You won't know until you try." Serena singsongs.

Blair groans at Serena's enthusiasm. Of course Serena is the ultimate optimist; everything always works out for Serena van der Woodsen.

Serena squeezes the hands that are in still in hers and says seriously, "I know how your mind works, B, and I know Dan. He can't just pretend that you and him never happened so whatever reasons you have now come up with to make yourself believe that you and him will never work, please just forget them for now and give this a try."

Blair knows that Serena can be generous and forgiving but so many times Serena is very much caught up in her own drama that Blair is always thrown when she sees Serena like this: insightful and gracious.

She smiles a watery smile at the blonde as she remembers why despite all their fights and falling outs, she will always consider Serena her best friend. Because when it really matters, Serena always comes through for her.

* * *

Less than five minutes after Serena leaves, she is in a cab to Brooklyn.

Knocking at the door of the apartment she has only ever been at to cause trouble for her nemesis, Blair's palms are sweaty and she curses Humphrey and the borough of Brooklyn for having this effect on her.

She is considering turning around and leaving when the door swings open and Dan stands in front of her.

His eyes widen and he keeps his hand on the door. "Blair, what are you doing here?"

"Are you going to invite me in?"

He lowers his head and moves away from the door, mumbling. "Of course, come in."

It makes her smile that he seems nervous too.

They stand facing each other, awkwardly.

Dan sticks his hands into his tight denim jeans and Blair clasps her hands together and takes in the Brooklyn apartment.

It's cozy, she thinks. In spite of the tension in the air between her and Dan, it's not like the other times she has been here. She feels comfortable now, like she could actually like it here.

She laughs softly to herself. She really has changed.

"What?" Dan asks.

"Nothing," Blair responds quickly. "Have you looked at Gossip Girl?"

"What?" Dan asks again. Sometimes when he talks to Blair, he feels like he is getting whiplash, the way she quickly changes topics.

It's part of her allure, he figures. You don't get bored with a girl like Blair but it is a lot different than the way one never gets bored with Serena.

Dan frowns as he thinks of the blonde and he tries to come back to the question at hand.

"No, why?"

"There was a picture of Nate and I on it." She shrugs. "I thought you might have seen it."

Dan's breath catches in his throat. There is no way. He shakes his head as if to shake the thought away. Blair may be a lot of things, vindictive being one of them, but she wouldn't do that to Serena; Nate wouldn't do that to Serena.

"Oh?" he asks through clenched teeth. "What was it of?"

Blair does not notice his distress. "Nothing really. We were just hugging but Serena saw it and I guess it got her to thinking."

The confusion in Dan's mind grows and he stays silent. He has no idea where this story is going.

"She says that if you and I want to be together, then she'll support it," Blair finishes.

Dan exhales in relief. "Really?"

Blair's face remains impassive and she continues looking everywhere but at Dan. "Yeah. Of course I told her that you and I would never work…"

Dan refuses to be disheartened by Blair's stance and her discouraging words and instead takes in what she has said about Serena and the fact that she is here, in his apartment in Brooklyn.

Blair noticing the wide grin across Dan's face trails off.

He is in front of her before she can voice her confusion.

She finally looks at him then, her brown eyes wide and startled.

He kisses her.

"Dan, you can't just-" she tries to say but he silences her again with his lips.

She kisses him back briefly then pulls back again.

"I need you to admit that we are a bad match. That this won't work."

Dan sees the determination on her face and sighs. "I will admit that we are not the most conventional pair and this might not work but I am willing to try." He eyes her. "Aren't you?"

She smiles at the way he edits her request, acquiescing to her stubborn demand, but in his own way.

"Yeah, I am," she answers his question before kissing him back.

* * *

_Am I so dear?_

_Do I run rare?_

_xxx_

Chuck comes home two months later with a new personality and a French girl on his arm.

Blair feels resentful as she watches him parade around Fashion Night's Out with saintly Eva.

Chuck does not deserve this fresh start that is being so easily given to him.

Dan comes up behind her and slips his arms around her waist. She leans back into him, letting out a soft sigh as she looks back at Chuck. She guesses that some might say the same about her.

"Should I be worried?" Dan asks into her neck.

Blair turns around to face him. "Seriously?"

He doesn't answer and he averts his gaze.

Blair looks at Chuck again. She tries to conjure up any of the intense feelings that she used to have whenever she saw Chuck, whether they be love, rage or jealousy. She finds that they are nowhere present and even the resentment she was feeling minutes earlier is slowly receding.

"No," she says to Dan.

His brown eyes meet hers and she can read the vulnerability in them. She is so familiar with that look. She has seen it in herself too many times.

"I love you." The words have been dancing around in her head for weeks but now they move out of her mouth with a force of their own.

He crushes her petite body into his and kisses her neck, her cheek and then her lips.

He never thought she would say it first.

Her cheeks are flushed when they pull apart. "Dan," she admonishes but she is smiling.

"I love you, too," he says and he has never been so sure of his feelings for anyone before.

"Want to get out of here?" Blair asks.

He nods and as he follows her, he catches Chuck's eye.

He looks stunned but he makes no move towards them.

Dan takes Blair's hand and decides both him and Blair were wrong about their relationship.

They are good together, better than they were with other people, and now even he can't see the end.

xxxx

_This was unlike the story_

_It was written to be_

_

* * *

_

Le fin! Merci encore.


End file.
